Colin M. Johnson's Fiction - Short Stories

"THE BLUE BAG"

by Colin M. Johnson


      "That's odd!   Oh no!"   The tone in Sue's voice betrayed her sudden chill of horror.   "Andy, you must have picked the wrong bag off the carousel!"

      Andy stared at the blue canvas hold-all with its distinctive leather crest on the side.   To him it looked exactly like the one he'd helped Sue to pack the day before.   But now it contained only files and technical papers which they knew nothing about.

      Sue ran her hands over the foreign bag and began to hate it.   It had no place in their Brighton hotel room, spoiling their honeymoon.   But whose was it?   She was tired and disorientated after their seven-hour flight across the Atlantic and this discovery was the final straw.   She felt like bursting into tears.

      Andy reached for the phone book.   Soon he was giving details to a sympathetic voice at Gatwick Airport.

      "Happens all the time," the man replied cheerily.   "We've no reports of any missing luggage from your flight, but I'll take your name and phone number.   Is your own item clearly marked?"

      "Yes," Andy assured him, "but only with our New Jersey address!   We're staying in Brighton tonight, then we're planning to move on."

      "Don't worry.   We'll no doubt get a distress call from this other chap any minute."

      Andy quickly discovered that almost everything they needed that night was in their missing piece of luggage.   They had no pyjamas nor toothbrushes, no maps or guide books, no cassette player and no protection against bad weather.

      "Why didn't we check more carefully at the airport?" wailed Sue.   "We'd have known straight away if they'd stopped us in Customs."

      "But they didn't, my love, and we were too weary.   This was the only blue bag on the carousel when we got there.   It's identical, believe me!"

      Later that evening they were in the hotel dining room when Andy was summoned to the phone.

      "That was Gatwick," he announced as he rejoined his wife.   "The good news is they've tracked down our bag.   The bad news is it's three hundred miles away.   The other guy apparently took a connecting flight in a hurry and didn't notice his mistake till now.   I've got his number so we'll phone him after dinner.   He's called Bill Werner, and he's staying in a hotel in York."

      "York?   We'd better call him from our room," Sue suggested.   "He may want details about what's in his bag."

      Upstairs they both listened to the earpiece as Andy dialled the York number.   Bill Werner, unmistakably American, sounded quite desperate.

      "Thank God they've tracked you guys down," he sighed.   "But you're the wrong end of the country.   I'm giving a product presentation in this hotel tomorrow morning, and all my notes are in that bag.   The thought of improvising in front of forty top executives without the aid of my foils scares the pants off me, apart from wasting weeks of work.   If we had more time I'd suggest a rendezvous in London, but I'd never make it.   I can't stay awake a minute longer!   God, how I hate those eastbound flights!"

      "Flying's still a novelty for us!" Sue chipped in.   "We're actually on our honeymoon.   We're planning to do some coach trips and maybe hire a car for few days."

      "But we didn't intend to visit York," added Andy.   "And I can hardly get a car at this hour and drive there by tomorrow morning!"

      "I'm afraid it's your wife who'll have to drive, Andy, because your New Jersey driver's licence is here in my hand!"

      Sue turned uncertainly towards Andy, gripping his arm as he gave a depressing sigh.

      "I'm desperate for those foils," the man went on.   "It's worth five hundred dollars if you can get them here by nine.   I hope your wife has her licence.   I'll willingly hire you guys a Jaguar if it'll persuade her to drive up here."

      Sue intervened.   "We'd love a Jaguar, Mr. Werner, but that isn't the problem.   I can't drive at all - you see ...   I'm blind."

      His attitude mellowed at once.   "Oh, my dear, I am sorry.   Forgive me, that was damned tactless."

      "Not at all, Mr. Werner.   It's okay, I'm quite used to it.   But listen, we have all your files here.   Couldn't Andy dictate some figures and stuff to you over the phone?   We'd like to help in any way we can."

      "That's kind, my dear, but there's far too much, and I also need those damned foils.   Without them, this trip's a monumental fiasco!   All I can say is, if you guys manage to show up with my bag by nine tomorrow morning, you can name your price!   I'm flying to Holland Tuesday, so if we don't meet up I'll have your bag returned to Gatwick if that's okay.   I see we're near neighbours back home, so we could eventually do a swap in Morristown - except I need everything now!   Well, if I'm to salvage anything here I'd better start work right away, so I'll say goodnight.   Enjoy your honeymoon!"

      And he was gone.

      "Poor man," Sue sighed as she lay on her bed.   "We can get by without all our things for a couple of days, but that guy's in a real jam.   He'll have to mail your licence here, so we'll be stranded in Brighton till then."

      Andy yawned.   "Right now, Sue, I'm so damned tired, I no longer care!   Welcome to Sunny England!   There's one consolation, honey - from here on, married life can only get better!"   They both settled down on their disappointingly narrow twin beds, and waited for sleep to engulf them.

      Five hours later they were still awake.

      "Is this crazy, or what?" Andy moaned.   "My body needs sleep!   My watch assures me it's half three in the morning, yet my stupid brain insists it's still only ten thirty."

      "Me too," Sue echoed.   "I'm so worried about Mr. Werner and his talk in six hours' time.   He sounded so frustrated!   Isn't there some way we can get it to him?   It seems selfish to lie here and do nothing, Andy, especially when we can't sleep on these ridiculous beds."

      "You're in England now, sweetheart.   The hotel's not quite what I expected either, but it's all we can afford.   We'll just have to adapt."

      Sue knew all about adapting, ever since she went blind as a child.   Blindness was a nuisance, yes, but life was still fun, especially since she'd met Andy and they'd fallen so deeply in love.   She reached out and touched his hand, still thinking about Mr. Werner.   It didn't seem wise to mail Andy's licence.   What if it got lost?

      "Andy?" she murmured.   "How about changing our itinerary and visiting York instead, if it would help that man."

      "Sweetheart, he needs his charts tomorrow morning!"

      "Surely they run trains at night for the mail and newspapers?   It might be worth asking.   We could maybe get to York by midday at least.   That'd be better than nothing.   Besides, the more I think about it the more I like the idea of seeing York.   It's very historic."

      In their shared darkness, Andy smiled at Sue's words.   At first he'd been confused when she spoke of "seeing" something, but now he knew what she meant.   Seeing York was something they could share together.

      Suddenly Andy made up his mind.   He dressed himself and crept down to the hotel lobby.   Minutes later he came bounding back, flushed with excitement.

      "We can do it, Sue, if we hurry.   There's a railroad timetable downstairs.   I know it's crazy, but if we check out right this minute, there's a train leaves for London just after four.   According to my calculations, we could make York before nine!   What do you think?   I can't sleep like this, so what the hell!   Let's live dangerously!"

      Sue smiled at Andy's sudden enthusiasm.

      "Okay," she agreed.   "I'm game if you are!"

      Soon they were both downstairs assuring the night porter that they loved his hotel but needed to move on.   Instead of waiting for a taxi, they hurried on foot through the deserted streets towards Brighton station, Sue clinging to Andy's sleeve as she carried the vital blue bag.

      "I hope Mr. Werner appreciates what we're doing," she panted.

      "He doesn't even know yet!   I wanted to call him first but there wasn't time.   I'll try phoning from London."

      They caught the four o'clock train easily.   Already there was enough daylight for Andy to describe the countryside to Sue.   She loved it when he showed such a genuine, caring interest in her enjoyment.

      Shortly before six they rumbled into Victoria Station.   With barely twenty minutes in hand, they grabbed a taxi and reached Kings Cross just as the York train was due to leave.   Andy raced to the ticket office while Sue stood minding the bags at the barrier, fascinated by the medley of echoing sounds and smells all around her - distant traffic, scurrying feet, and throbbing locomotives exchanging their distinctive calls.

      She was still waiting when the guard blew his whistle.   The vital train was about to leave, and they weren't on it.

      Blind since she was five, Sue had never made a train journey on her own.   Yet they'd come this far and it seemed pointless to give up, so she made up her mind.   Andy would just have to follow on the next train if he couldn't make it.

      Sue frantically waved her arms, picked up the three bags and yelled to the unseen guard to wait for her.   With sudden strength and a courage that surprised her, she lugged everything along the platform towards the sound of the slamming doors.   A wave of panic was about to engulf her when she felt a strong arm coming to her rescue as the guard helped her onto the already moving train, guiding her down the lurching corridor to an empty compartment.

      "You'll be all right in here, Miss!   My, you certainly left one that till the last minute!   Oversleep, did you?"

      As the guard stowed the bags on the overhead rack, Sue thanked him politely and collapsed onto the seat.   Only then did she realise how desperately tired she was and what a monumental step she'd just taken.

      She also realised with growing concern that Andy had possession of all their money, and he hadn't thought to tell her the name of Mr. Werner's hotel.   Further doubts haunted her weary mind - was this really the train for York?   She began to feel very scared, and offered up a silent prayer.

      Then someone else staggered breathlessly into the compartment and flopped down heavily beside her.

      "Well, miss, fancy meetin' you!" said a phoney Cockney accent.

      Sue knew, of course, who it was.   She flung her arms around Andy and held on tightly.

      "How on earth did you get here?"

      "I was about to phone Werner when I heard the whistle and saw you!   My God, you're a determined little monkey, aren't you?   I ran across the tracks like an Olympic hurdler and managed to scramble on board, breaking a dozen British laws and possibly one world record.   But who cares?   I wonder what time they serve breakfast here?"

      The train arrived punctually at York and on the stroke of nine Andy and Sue entered the lobby of Mr. Werner's Hotel.   They found him in the dining room, a forlorn figure sipping black coffee as he scribbled frantic last-minute notes for his meeting.

      "He looks as if he's been up all night," Andy whispered as they approached.

      Andy didn't say a word, but simply placed the precious blue holdall on Bill Werner's table directly in front of him.   As the bewildered man glanced up, Andy felt sorry that Sue couldn't enjoy the look of utter disbelief on his face.

      "Sue, love, I think someone here is rather pleased to see us."

      The initial look of surprise, astonishment and relief erupted into sheer ecstacy.   He stood up, grinning wildly and almost tearful.

      "That's one heck of an understatement!" he cried, almost speechless.   "Thanks, you guys, and welcome!   My God!   You must be Andy and Sue.   I guess you're exhausted!   That makes three of us - couldn't sleep a wink myself.   Care for some coffee?"

      "Right now we could use some pillows," Andy replied, "but it's been worth it, Sue, to see the look on his face!"

      "You don't have to tell me," she said.   "I've got other senses and I know there's an extremely happy man standing right in front of me!"

      "Believe me, young lady, there is.   What a relief!   And when I said you could name your price, I meant it.   For starters I'd like to hire you that Jaguar for two weeks, and you're welcome to stay in this hotel - charge everything to me.   And make sure when you're back in New Jersey, you look me up, both of you.   Andy, I greatly admire a guy who gets things done.   And Sue has a very pleasant voice on the phone, alert, confident and helpful.   I like that too.   I could use you both in my company if you're interested.   Visit me in Morristown anyway, and if you want to learn more about what goes on, there's going to be a superbly illustrated demo starting next door at nine-thirty!   Meanwhile there's a matter I need to attend to at the front desk."

      Sue and Andy attended the beginning of Bill Werner's presentation which certainly had a more impressive opening than anything he could have planned.

      "Here, gentlemen," he announced, "stand a couple of truly enterprising young Americans, the very kind I like to have working in my company.   They don't work for me yet, but I'll be piling on plenty of bait until they do!   They're to be my special guests for dinner tonight, somewhere out there in historic Old York.   Meanwhile, I guess you two had better get go and yourselves some rest.   You've sure earned it!"

      As the young couple left the presentation, they heard cheers and applause as Bill Werner shared with his delegates the story of the lost blue bag.  

      Andy kissed Sue as they stood together in the lift, and he pressed a specially ornate key into her hand, saying, "Honey, you've no idea how proud I am of what you did today.   I'm very lucky to be your husband."

      "But you made the decision," she yawned.   "We did it together, remember.   A good team, eh?"  

      Five minutes later they were relaxing in the luxury of the honeymoon suite on a blissfully soft king-size bed, while a red sign hung outside their door all day long.

      These occupants were definitely not to be disturbed!

THE END


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